Process of making matrices.



PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

A. H. ORUSE.

PROCESS OF MAKING MATRICES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 26, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIQE.

AMANDUS H. ORUSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT HOE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF MAKING MATRICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 26, 1904. Serial No. 230,032.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMANDUs H. CRUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Matrices, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in processes for making matrices.

The operation of making matrices as now conducted is carried out by placing a sheet of matrix material in a moist condition on a type-form which rests upon a bed or other suitable support, the form being ordinarily locked up in a chase. A coversuch, for instance, as a blanketis usually placed over a sheet of matrix material, and then this material is forced either by beating it with a brush or by subjecting it to heavy pressure into close contact with the face of the type, thereby causing each type to embed itself in the soft matrix material, thus forming the type-face impressions in the matrix material. After the material has thus been brought into impressing contact with the type-form the form and the matrix material are subjected to a heating operation for the purpose of baking or hardening the matrix, this operation being usually eifected by placing the form and matrix in a hot press. After the heating operation has been continued for a sufficient length of time to harden the matrix material the finished matrix is removed from the type. This method of making matrices is objectionable, first, because it is a slow operation and also for the reason that the type during the baking operation are subj ected to a high degree of heat. This causes them to expand, the expansion, because the type are locked up in the chase, taking place chiefly in the direction of their length. The result of this is that type of the same font are frequently subjected in the operations of making different matrices to different 'degrees of heat and will expand unequally, so that after the type have been used a greater or less number of times they become uneven in height and do not make their impressions evenly upon the matrix. For this reason the type-fonts have to be frequently renewed.

The present invention has for its object the making of matrices by an improved process which may be readily carried out and in which the type are not subjected to heating operations, which cause them to expand or lengthen unevenly.

The improved process will first be de-' scribed and then the novel features thereof will be pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

Inasmuch as the process will best be understood by reference to a mechanism which is suitable for carrying it out, the process will be described in connection with such a mechanism, a drawing illustrating the mechanism forming a part of this specification, it being understood, however, that the process is not dependent upon this mechanism or upon any mechanism, as it may be carried out by hand.

Referring to said drawing, the figure illustrates, partly in side elevation and partly in section, a mechanism adapted for carrying out the improved process.

In carrying out the process the type-form is placed upon a suitable bed or support. This bed or support may be of any desired configuration, but will preferably correspond to the configuration of the type-form, and will usually, therefore, be fiat. In the drawing this support consists of a flat bed 2, which will preferably be so mounted that it may be reciprocated. Any desired means may be employed for reciprocating the bed, that shown including a railroad traveling gear 6,meshing with a rack 5 on the under side of the bed and also with a stationary rack '7, upon which the gear travels. The axle 9 of the gear has secured to it a forked connecting-rod 10, which is in turn secured to a crank-arm 11 on a driving-shaft 12.

The matrix material is placed upon a carrier in order that it may receive the impression from the type-form on the form-supporting bed. The carrier shown is of the rotary type and is generally cylindrical in outline, being, as illustrated, mounted upon a shaft 25. This carrier is provided with a matrixmateriahsupporting surface 26, and is also provided with a counterbalancing-web 27, this web being so located as to clear the form on the return movement of the bed.

In the construction shown the carrier is driven at times by the bed andat times by gearing, which may be operated in any suitable manneras, for instance, from the driving mechanism of the machine. The means by which the driving of the carrier is effected will of course vary according to the character of the mechanismwhich is employed in carrying out the invention when mechanism is used for this purpose. In the construction which has been selected to illustrate a mechanism capacitated for carrying out the invention the bed is provided with a pair of racks 29, which mesh at the proper time with a pair of curved segmental racks 30, mounted on the matrix-material carrier. These segmental racks correspond in position with the matrix-material-supporting surface and are substantially the same in length as this surface. By this arrangement the movements of the carrier and bed will correspond exactly during the impressing operation. The carrier is also provided with a gear 31, which is not provided with teeth throughout its entire circumference, but has its toothed portion lying opposite the toothed portion of one of the segmental racks 30. The toothed portion of the gear 31 will usually be of sufficient length so that it will overlie by two or three teeth the teeth of the segmental rack 30. This gear 31 in the particular construction shown is arranged to mesh with a gear 32, which is suitably mounted and which may be operated by a train of gearing, (indicated in part diagrammatically in dotted lines,) said train being driven by the gear 1 3, mounted on the shaft 1 2.

In carrying out the process the matrix material will first be secured to the matrix-ma terial carrier in any suitable manner, the material being transferred from a suitable rest or support, as 50, to the carrier. In the particular construction selected to illustrate the invention the head end of the matrix material is represented as being clamped to the matrix-material-supporting surface by a pair of grippers, as 33, and the tail end of the matrix material is also shown as clamped to the supporting-surface by means of a pair of grippers 34. These grippers are shown as locked by means of latches 46 47, connected by a spring-rod construction 48. One of the .latches, 47, is also shown as provided with a handle 49, so that the latches may be released simultaneously to permit the matrix material after the impressing operation is completed to be removed from the machine. In carrying out the invention after the matrix material has been placed, as before described, on the carrier the carrier is given a plurality of revolutions, so that the type-form will be caused to impress itself a plurality of times in the soft matrix material. This is accomplished by setting the machine in operation and allowing it to run until the matrix material has received aproper impression from successive contacts with the type-form.

While the process might be carried out by simply allowing the matrix material to dry on the carrier between the impressing operations, in the practical carrying out of the process it will preferably be dried by heat, and preferably, also, this heat will be applied after each impressing operation. This drying operation will preferably be effected by directing artificial heat against the face of the matrix after it has passed out of contact with the form.

In the particular mechanism shown for illustrating the process there is provided a drier which has a curved upward-extending portion or hood 52, located alongside the path of rotation of the carrier, and a rearwardly and downwardly extending portion, this portion being supplied with suitable heating means-as, for instance, Bunsen burners 54. After each impressing operation, therefore, the matrix is subjected to a strong heat directed against its face. In the operation of forming the matrix, therefore, the matrix is first impressed, then dried, then impressed, and then dried, these operations being continued until the matrix is sufiiciently baked or hardened so that it may be removed from the carrier. In the practical operation of making a matrix the matrix material rests upon a blanket of some soft material which is transferred with it from the table 50 to the carrier.

What is claimed is 1. The process of making matrices consisting in causing the matrix material to receive a plurality of successive impressions from the type -form, substantially as described.

2. The process of making matrices consisting in causing the matrix material to receive a plurality of successive impressions from the type-form and drying the material between impressing operations, substantially as described.

3. The process of making matrices consisting in causing the matrix material to receive a plurality of successive impressions from the type-form and subjecting the matrix material to heat between impressing operations, substantially as described.

4. The process of making matrices consisting in causing the matrix material to receive a plurality of successive impressions from the type-form and subjecting the matrix material to heat between impressing operations, the heat being directed against the face of the matrix material, substantially as described.

5. The process of making matrices which consists in causing the matrix material to receive a series of successive impressions from the type-form and in subjecting the material to heat after each impressing operation, substantially as described.

6. The process of making matrices which In testimony whereof I have hereunto set consists in causing the matrix material to remy hand in the presence of two subscribing ceive a series of successive impressions from Witnesses. the type-form and in subjecting the material 5 to heat after each impressing operation, the l/Vitnesses:

heat being directed against the face of the F. W. H. CRANE, matrix material, substantially as described. L. RoEHM.

AMANDUS H. CRUSE. 

